


The Snowdin Star On High

by Saifa



Series: Back up secret santa gifts [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Ambassador Papyrus, Gyftmas, Gyftmas Festival, Gyftmas markets, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:33:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21934540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saifa/pseuds/Saifa
Summary: The city celebrates its first Gyftmas festival with markets in the park, and you attend opening day with the greatest skeleton in the world!
Relationships: Papyrus (Undertale)/Reader
Series: Back up secret santa gifts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1579540
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	1. Ribbon Cutting

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shamelesstoaster](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shamelesstoaster/gifts).



> A back up gift I wrote for the Undertale Secret Santa exchange I helped run this year. Inspired by the Christmas markets I saw in Germany while on vacation during the event. There will be more chapters of Papyrus and reader enjoying the markets. I just got a little sick from travelling, so the first one will have to suffice for now. The other chapters will be worked on in between writing VNV, so in other words I'll be super slow.
> 
> Titles subject to change.

“Are your eyes still closed?”

“For the billionth time, yes!” you giggled, the corners of your eyes crinkling from your smile. The crisp cold air filling your lungs energized you to match Papyrus’ enthusiastic step as he led you by the hand. You held onto his gloved fingers tightly all the while listening intently to the bustling of the city around you. Among the salt and snow crunching under your boots, you were surrounded by a sea of eager chatter that grew in volume. It was the usual excitement for the holidays, judging by the conversations you walked past. “What’s this big surprise you have planned anyways?”

“You’ll see soon enough! We’re almost there.”

“Good, because my curiosity is about to get the better of me,” you teased.

“We can’t have that now, can we?” he scolded light-heartedly. Papyrus slipped out of your grasp, then moved behind you to place his hands on your shoulders. Gently, he directed you several more steps until his steady hold signaled you to stop. Despite your promise to remain patient, he covered your eyes as an extra precaution. Truly, he was nothing if not thorough and committed to the mystery.

“You dork!” you laughed as you felt the cold leather of his gloves lightly brush against your cheeks and eyelids. Reaching up to grab his hands, you tugged at them playfully. “What, you don’t trust me?”

“Of course I do!” he declared proudly with vibrato and a smile clearly present in his voice. “I am doing this for dramatic effect to enhance the experience. Now, prepare to feast your eyes on this spectacular marvel in three, two, one!”

When he pulled his hands away, your eyes fluttered open to see the entrance to the city park gated off by a large, silky ribbon. The red fabric, tied into a perfectly neat bow that could have only been crafted by Papyrus’ meticulous hands, stood out against the thin layer of snow. Beyond the gate you could see the park filled with vendor stalls, each lightly covered in fluffy snow like frosting and powdered sugar on gingerbread roofs. A canopy of Christmas lights stretched above them, and though they were unlit, you imagined a starry net setting the Gyftmas market alight once night settled in.

“Oh, wow!” you gasped in amazement at the towering Gyftmas tree in the center of everything. You had to wonder how the golden Snowdin star on top, which gleamed brightly in the sunlight, was placed. Papyrus had once told you it was the duty of the monster who could jump the highest to put it in its rightful place, but the ornament was awfully high up that such a jump would be a magnificent feat.

“What do you think?” Papyrus asked, puffing out his chest with hands on his hips.

“It’s beautiful!” you gasped. You turned on your heel to face him, hands clinging to his long jacket, and noticed the crowd of monsters and humans waiting patiently to enter. Cameras for the local news crews scanned the scene, then snapped to Papyrus once his presence was noticed. “I thought you said we wouldn’t be able to go to the Gyftmas Festival together until the weekend.”

“Truly an act of masterful misdirection on my part!”

“You mean a lie,” you teased.

“No, no, no, certainly not! While it is true I do have work and must perform some duties, what kind of  _ bone-a fide _ ambassador would I be if I did not attend the opening today with my favorite human? It is a day of celebration for all of us after all the hard work everyone put in.”

“Here are the ceremonial scissors, Ambassador Papyrus!” a small mouse monster squeaked, their voice muffled by their scarf. They held up a cushion with a comically large, golden pair of scissors presented on top.

“Why, thank you,” Papyrus said, carefully taking it up with steady hands. 

“Knock ‘em dead, Ambassador,” you teased, jabbing him playfully in the ribs with your elbow.

“Indeed I shall,” Papyrus winked. He turned to the crowd and gave his signature dazzling smile for the cameras. “My fellow monsters and friendliest of humans, welcome to our very first Gyftmas festival here on the Surface! It is with great pride that I can say we have achieved something wonderful in human-monster relations and cultural exchange. So many of you have put their backbones into this event and rallied together with me to make this possible, and I can’t thank you enough for believing in each other and me! I would shower you all with kisses, but unfortunately I don’t have lips!”

The crowd chuckled with laughter and cheered with waves of applause.

“You are all spectacular for coming to show your support on this opening day. I’m sure you are all chilled to the bone and bursting with excitement to enter. Fear not, we have delicious hot drinks for your consumption. Now, without further ado...” He turned to you with that warm and joyous smile you had grown to adore, and primed the scissors for cutting so the blades were poised like jaws towards the delicate fabric. “Together, my dear?”

Immediately, your cheeks flushed a rosier pink after having been colored by the frosty air. “Oh wow, this is such an honor. Are you sure?”

“Of course! After all of your loving support, you helped me see this through!”

“If that’s the case, then…” your voice trailed off as you grabbed the scissors with him. It glided through the ribbon, the newly cut ends fluttering in the breeze until what remained dropped limply to the ground.

The crowd erupted again with cheers and applause, then began slowly shuffling past to enter. Papyrus pulled you aside from the steady stream, then wrapped an arm around your waist and leaned to press his forehead against yours. “Go have fun. I’ll find you.”

“I can wait!” you insisted, brushing your hand against his cheekbone.

“And restrain you from such wonder? Absolutely not! Besides, I do not know how long these lovely reporters will hold me captive with their interviews, and I have some promoting to do.”

“Fine,” you whined. “You owe me several hot chocolates for this.”

“I expect you to hold me to that,” Papyrus said, nuzzling your cheek.

“Deal.” You wrapped your arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before slipping away. With a skip in your step and your heart fluttering in your chest as you entered the park, your eyes darted from stall to stall, wondering what to explore first. When you finally settled on an aisle featuring an assortment of delectable Gyftmas treats, the smell of the sweetness and spices taunted you. You promised yourself you’d wait to enjoy them with him, but the brightly colored candies, cookies, and cakes were calling your name.

Papyrus had better hurry up with those interviews. 


	2. Leporidae

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus demonstrates another exclusive for the media at the Gyftmas markets while you cheer him on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leporidae is the taxanomic family for rabbits and hares.
> 
> Might do a few more of these short ones at some later point. It's back to writing VNV for me.

“There you are!” Papyrus called while trotting over to you. He gave a hearty laugh at the bags filled with Gyftmas treats, decorations, and souvenirs weighing you down. He knew it was risky business letting you wander off on your own, but seeing that sheepish smile you wore was entirely worth it.  
“I couldn’t help myself. Everything just looked so good!” you admitted.  
“I do hope some of those treats are for me,” Papyrus teased while peeking into some of the bags. He always adored the cinnamon bunnies the most. “Or do you plan to eat them all by yourself?”  
“You better help me eat these! In fact, since I see you eyeing them…” You reached for a small paper bag of sugary pastries and held it up for him. “After you,” you said, smiling sweetly.  
With a gasp of delight, Papyrus plucked out the cinnamon pastry. “Hello, my friendly Leporidae! Oh, how your sugar crystals shine, much like the twinkle in my eyes were I to have such things!” Quickly, he popped the pastry into his mouth and savored it’s flavor. “But nothing will ever be as sweet as my favorite human in the world,” he gushed, wrapping an arm around your shoulders and bending over to nuzzle your cheek.  
“Oh, stop, you!” you blushed with a giggle.  
“Excuse me, Mister Ambassador,” a voice interrupted.  
You and Papyrus turned to see one of the reporters from earlier. The loose curls of her blonde hair bounced as she approached. Just as you thought he had escaped the media’s clutches, they were about to reel him back in for another exclusive. You both had hoped the interviews would have been enough to satisfy them, and it took everything you had to not pout in the reporter’s direction.  
“Yes, how may I help you?” Papyrus beamed without missing a beat. There was always more to do, but he had long accepted that was the life of an ambassador. He was never one to turn anyone down, especially if an interaction benefited monsterkind.  
“I understand the first round of monster friendly combat is about to start. Could you give us an exclusive demonstration for our special report?”  
“It would be my pleasure!”  
“But this is the last demonstration he does for today,” you interjected, holding up a finger.  
The reporter looked at you in surprise with the faintest twitch in her smile.  
You hooked your arm around Papyrus’ while your other hand went on your hip. “Even the ambassador should be able to enjoy opening night without work intruding every second.”  
Papyrus chuckled softly with an unfaltering smile. He could always count on you to bail him out when he deserved some downtime, and after all the preparations for the Gyftmas festival, there was no doubt he was in need of your uninterrupted company. Grabbing your hand, he motioned over to the combat area. “Onwards now, no time to waste! I will show your eager audience the greatest of patterns. Did you know expressing oneself through magic such as in friendly combat is one of the greatest of joys. In fact, us monsters have a tradition of giving bullet patterned birthday cards.”  
You giggled as the reporter stumbled to keep up while holding up a recorder to catch the rapid fire facts on monster culture. Perhaps you didn’t need to interject on the ambassador’s behalf after all. The amount of energy Papyrus possessed was enough to light up a city, and the sheer amount of cultural facts he was sharing was clearly overwhelming. He was known for being crafty, but presenting a college level lecture on monster culture at a breakneck pace in a one sided conversation was truly dastardly! It would wear down even the most studious of scholars.  
It wasn’t long before the camera crews were set up and Papyrus was about to enter the combat area with the former captain of the Royal Guard. Spectators gathered around the boundary, waiting expectantly for the show. Their excited chattering and cheers signaled it would be their first time seeing any sort of magic. Having seen some from Papyrus and his brother already, you knew they would not be disappointed. However, this would be your first time seeing Papyrus use his magic in a sparring match, so you couldn’t help but feel giddy.  
“Not that I need it since I haven’t dared to let my fantastic skills become rusty, but could I possibly get a kiss for good luck?” Papyrus asked. His magic rose to color his cheekbones a soft pink.  
“Only one?” you teased. You stood on your tiptoes and wrapped your arms around his neck. Slowly, you pressed a kiss against his smile while leaning into him. When Papyrus drew you closer, you couldn’t help but linger.  
“Hey, less kissing and more fighting!” a rough and commanding voice called out, causing you and Papyrus to break away.  
“Okay, Undyne!” Papyrus said brightly over his shoulder. “I’ll be right there!”  
Your face flushed a deep red. Hopefully this moment was not caught on camera. Oh, what did it matter anyways? Everyone knew Papyrus was your partner and it wasn’t the first time you and him had been caught kissing. Before he could depart, you held his face and grinned at him. “Now go. Kick. Some. Ass!” you encouraged in between kisses to his cheeks, nasal bridge, and forehead.  
“Wowie!” Papyrus exclaimed. “With you cheering me on, I can’t lose!”  
“Less fighting with your face and more with your fists!” Undyne shouted, doing her best not to cackle.  
“On my way!” Papyrus called back. He slipped out of your grasp and marched over to the opposite end of the battle area.  
You found your way to the front row and gripped the fence tightly in anticipation. There was a brief bow between the former captain and the ambassador before the battlefield was covered in spears and intricate patterns of bones. Every time magic sparked and clashed, you gasped along with the audience and marveled at their speed and strength.  
“GO PAPYRUS!” you cheered. “NICE SHOT!”  
“Thank you, my sweet Leporidae!” Papyrus said, twirling a bone in his hand like a baton to block the spears raining down on him all the while striking a dramatic pose. The spears dissipated into sparks on impact and lit up the air, making Papyrus look even more dazzling and triumphant. Quickly, he dashed forward with a bone in his hand and engaged with Undyne in close combat. It looked like they rehearsed this hundreds of times before, you couldn’t believe his wasn’t choreographed already.  
You couldn’t stop smiling at how cool he looked and how lucky you were to have Papyrus as your partner. No matter the outcome of the battle, he was going to get the biggest victory kiss of his life.


End file.
